Ready Player One

In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade has devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines — puzzles based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past, promising massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win — and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.

Days after winning OASIS founder James Halliday's contest, Wade Watts makes a discovery that changes everything. Hidden within Halliday's vaults lies a technological advancement that will make the OASIS a thousand times more wondrous — and addictive — than even Wade dreamed possible. With it comes a new riddle, a new quest, and an unexpectedly powerful and dangerous rival willing to kill millions to get what he wants. Wade's life and the future of the OASIS are again at stake, but this time the fate of humanity also hangs in the balance.